Heathfield Rangers 12 Hove 3 (Beef) 26
This Sussex Plate Final was played in remarkably good conditions after serious overnight rain at Crawley RFC in front of a decent crowd including players from the earlier finals and some Sussex alickadoos as well as supporters from both clubs.
Heathfield Rangers were rocked by two early scores and were thus always having to catch up thereafter against a mature and efficient Hove 3 team – aka Beef – who were just able to contain the Rangers’ growing attacks. Hove took their few chances well while the Rangers were unable to finish so clinically.
Hove had some early pressure and then turned over a Rangers lineout with the ball moved quickly into midfield for their inside centre to run a good line and slide over for the opening try – painfully for him as he collided with the post in the process.
Then a few minutes later good Rangers scrum ball was taken on into midfield but Hove won the breakdown and efficiently worked the ball wide for another try near the posts. Both had been converted so the Rangers now faced a serious challenge and they duly, albeit belatedly, responded.
Gradually the Rangers started to build some momentum with Dan Canneaux and veteran Mike Brown making plenty of hard yards. The Rangers scrum was starting to exert some pressure on the Hove unit allowing Harry Westgate to keep his backline moving forward where James Usherwood was also noted with some useful work ball in hand.
A penalty allowed Tom Reilly to kick precisely into the left hand corner for a promising attacking position but the lineout again went wrong and Hove were able to clear their lines. Most of the game was in the Hove half and the pressure eventually resulted in a yellow for a Hove forward although the Rangers were unable to take advantage of the extra man.
Given the amount of Rangers possession throughout the game the coaches were disappointed that much good ball was kicked away.
The half time score of 0-14 meant that the Rangers really needed to score next but instead after five minutes Hove collected their third try when they again unlocked the Rangers midfield defence.
Almost all of the rest of the game was in the Hove half. The Rangers forwards, led by example by skipper Jack Bayley, were making useful ground with Jack Ruddock being especially effective, with Craig Martin also being mentioned in despatches. Hove had tweaked their scrummage and the Rangers no longer had an edge in this phase.
Given the scoreboard situation Hove were able to sit back and absorb the pressure, waiting for the Rangers’ errors which often duly arrived.
The Rangers did cross the line several times but were almost always held up. Hove 3 are a group of mature players and their greater savoir-faire at close quarters was probably decisive in this area.
With 15 minutes remaining the Rangers finally troubled the scorer when George Walter worked his way over in a heap of bodies. Play was becoming slightly frantic at this point as the clock ticked down. Liam Dunkley had a promising run into the right hand corner but the cover just did enough
More Rangers pressure in the Hove 22 resulted in a second yellow but again the Rangers were unable to exploit the extra man. Replacement Aaron Ward was noted with several strong carries in this period.
The Rangers were having to play catch up and eventually this went wrong as a Hove flanker seized loose ball and charged home for the decisive fourth try.
The Rangers were not daunted and Henry Millington went very close in the right hand corner. They were not to be denied and at least had the last word as Sam Tiley worked his way over near the posts, and then converted his own try, to complete the scoring.
In spite of the result today the Rangers can look back on a very satisfactory season overall. Head Coach Bryn Jones, assisted by Rob Streeter, has been able to build a strong team identity incorporating many old heads with some younger talents. This has resulted in a decent league position as well as providing a good development environment for players for the club’s 1st team.